Today is the day Wishing On Planes is finally released. This 9-song album features a couple of old favorites and some new material, all anxious to see the light of day. I'm very excited about this release, because the last album I released was in 1996, and a sign of the times, since it was recorded on reel-to-reel. I really hope I don't wait another 20 years to release the next one.

I worked with Paul Opalach at Long Hill Recording, www.paulopalach.com and together we set out to bring the album to life. First, I had to get over my fear of the click track. (I think they call that WhereIsTheBeatophobia.) It turned out to be surprisingly easy with Paul on percussion. We had a lot of fun creating the mood for each song, using Paul's band of talented musician personas as well as a few friends to help tell each story. It's an amazing thing to see the life of a song grow in the recording process. You just never know where it will take you.

We certainly had a lot of laughs. I even had a chauffeur one snowy morning! Paul came to pick me up so we wouldn't miss a session. I got used to Mondays at Long Hill, to the point that I miss them now. :)

The actual CDs arrive via UPS this afternoon, but the digital format is available right now on this website via the music tab, or at CDBaby. I was hoping it would be available everywhere today, but it won't hit Amazon, Apple Music or Spotify for another few days, or perhaps even weeks. Good things come to those who wait, I suppose, but not to me. I was going to wait until then to post this blog, but somehow I just couldn't. Hope you enjoy the new album. I'll have it with me at The Outer Space in Hamden on May 13.

Here it is June already - almost July, even, and yet this is my first blog post. Shameful, I know. If this were a true midterm report, I guess I would be failing, starting with my promise to write more regular blog posts. I set a lot of goals for myself, none of which have been realized...yet.
I submitted to several festivals via Reverbnation and SonicBids, to no avail. I entered each with hope and submitted my songs with pride, but received the ubiquitous "Thanks, but no thanks," e-mail on all of them. However, I did get one yes from http://www.mvyradio.com/local_musicafe/, allowing me to post Emotional Vampire and Anyway on their site. Both songs are available for free download for as long as the songs are posted there.

Second Life has given me many fans and friends from all over the world. I am amazed at the wide range of talented musicians there, and I am lucky to count them as my friends. I was honored to be asked to participate in a project that commemorated the 4th anniversary of a band named SOAR from Australia. I recorded two songs, Brindabella and I Fall. The songs I recorded as well as the songs done by other musicians can be found here: http://www.brightoh.com/Bright/ANNIVERSARY.html.

I have enjoyed being part of the Singer/Songwriter night at Two Boots. I have played there three times in the last couple of months, including last night, which was a great night, even though I missed game 6 of the Chicago Blackhawks - Boston Bruins Stanley Cup finals. A reporter from Fairfield County Weekly was there writing a story about the series. Maybe I'll get a little publicity...

Sadly, I have not done any songwriting. I wish I could find the inspiration, but nothing has come. I keep trying. An idea did spring to mind the other day, and I wrote it down. Perhaps I can make that into something. When I write songs, there is an endless pressure for each song to be good, so fear can sometimes deter me. Speaking of songs, I submitted The Test to Sandy Hook Songs for Hope. They had six slots open for songs to appear on their CD, and I would be so honored to be chosen as one of those. They will announce the chosen songs on Sunday June 30th at 8pm on Jon Stein's "Hootenanny Radio Cafe," WTBQ, Warwick, NY (1110 AM, 93.5 FM) and www.WTBQ.com.

I am hoping the second half of the year will provide me with more opportunities to reach the goals I have set, or even introduce some new ones. As always, thanks so much for your continued support. I couldn't do any of this without you!

Happy New Year! 2013 is unfolding around us, and as it's traditional to think about change, and starting fresh, I am looking at what I would like to see happen in my life of music. I refuse to call my goals for the coming year resolutions. They never come true. I'd prefer to call them wishes. These are things that I want to achieve.
Looking back at 2012, I see that I played open mics at some new places, had a few more gigs than in 2011, and made some new contacts. I did not write any songs in 2012. I only wrote one blog post. Not exactly what you would call a productive year, musically, but the experiences do grow, as time goes by.

So here's what's on my wish list for 2013:

*Write songs! (Good songs, of course.)
*Record Lost in Montreal
*Push harder to get my music out where it can be heard
*Connect with fans locally and globally via social media, e-mail, at shows and writing monthly posts of this BLOG (Yes, I know this year was a little short on blog posts), to remind them how very important they are to me
*Get a slot as a performer at Musikfest 2013 in Bethlehem, PA
*More gigs, of course, if I can

Did I leave anything out? Most of these are doable, I think. All of them are steps required to take my music to another level.

It has always been a dream of mine to make something out of my music, to get to the point where people want to hear it, buy it, and come to live shows, even pay to see me play. I feel like I'm dipping my toe in the water, but the water is ice-cold. I am invested body and soul in this endeavor -- have been since I was young. It's in my blood. My story isn't any different from the millions of talented others who want the same thing, but I keep going...I keep chasing that tumbleweed.

This Sunday, I'm going to be playing an all-originals set for singer/songwriter night at The Outer Space. I'm the show opener, and will be setting the tone for the whole night. I love to play originals, and yet there is a thread of trepidation. I always wonder if the audience will connect with any of my songs. It goes back to the writing, I think.
For me, songwriting is a painstaking process. Some songs are easier than others to write, but each song needs to be coaxed and cajoled out into the open, and finding that conduit is the tricky part. Ideas do not come as quickly as they once did. What could I possibly say that hasn't already been said? The truth is, there's nothing new. With the billions of songs out there, spanning continents and time, everything has already been said...or sung. How the idea is expressed makes it unique. What personal inflection and individual story do I bring to it?

The ultimate test is whether the song strikes a chord in the hearts of others. A very tall order, but nonetheless the goal of each and every song I write. Hence, the fear and perfectionism that most likely hinders my progress. This creates a vicious circle of procrastination and avoidance, which is the opposite of what's necessary. In order to really succeed, I need to push myself to write more, not less.

So, in preparing my all-original set for Sunday, I think of the songs of mine that may have the most impact or universal appeal. I put my words and ideas out there, hoping they will be received and accepted, hoping that my voice and guitar offer the perfect delivery, and praying that they make a connection.

I know, it's been a few months since I posted a new blog...Call me a slacker.
Last night I did something I have never done before. I played a live show at RW's BBQ in Brookfield, CT and streamed live video from the show into Second Life. I'm no video star for sure, and I'm always self-conscious about being filmed, but I guess people thought it was okay. I was worried about the technology coming together, but we managed to figure it out. Since we don't own a laptop, we actually brought in my desktop computer so we could stream into Second Life as well as on ustream. I thought it would be more of a bother to set up and break down, but it was easy.

Seven of my friends came to hear me play and for the yummy BBQ. Having them there made the atmosphere so much more relaxed, and I enjoyed that. About a dozen people from all over the world showed up at Nitida Ridge, the venue in Second Life. They made comments and requested songs. Rich manned the keyboard and kept me informed so I could thank them and honor their requests. It is very hard to explain the scope of Second Life without people actually seeing what goes on. The real life audience was fascinated with Second Life--the avatars danced, made requests and commented on the music, which brought the two audiences together. My two-hour set passed by rather quickly, I thought. All too soon, it was time to pack up and go home. Streaming live video into Second Life was a lot of fun. I know I will do it again sometime in the near future. Thanks so much to everyone who made it possible!

My next live show is January 13, 2012 at SoNo Caffeine in South Norwalk, CT.